Arts and Crafts...

Part of the Taylor Thanksgiving Feast of 2008 included arts and crafts. Here's what we made:

Elder Tu'itakau (from Tonga) in his pajamas wearing his matching blue turkey

Mark - he's sure excited about HIS turkey

Jordin (who DID make a turkey head-dress) and Trixie sporting her pink turkey. Trixie was all pink yesterday - and sure looked great!

Elder Gray (from Utah) colored his turkey beautifully, but wasn't so safe with his scissors.

JANE Boland in her turkey head-dress. Excellent!

Elder Kavanaugh (from California) got very creative with his turkey - including one wing that was purple and the other that was blue.

The Feast

The Taylor family had quite a departure from our normal Thanksgiving day festivities...we had people OVER! And we had such a wonderful time...check it out!

I am especially proud that we had seats for all 17 people! No one had to sit on a piano bench or on the floor or anything!

We also had matching "service" for everyone. Well, one table was it's own set of china/stemware/silverware...but everything matched, DUDE! Awesome

Featured here: Elder Cook, Jane Boland and the back of Nikki's head. Nikki followed the rules that pajamas were to be worn. But everyone WAS dressed comfortably - and really, that's what matters most, right?

Looking from the dining room into the living room. Featured here is Merrie Boland, then at the next table (left to right) Bobby Boland, Jane Boland's head, Jordin Roth, Elder Cook's head, and Nikki's hair. Mom sat in that empty chair. At the furthest table you can see me and Petie. Josh also sat with us, but had stepped away from the table when this picture was taken.

After dinner, games were played...like "Wash the dishes!!" and "Store the leftovers!" and "Where's the PIE?!" We also had rousing games of Apples to Apples and Dominos. I also tried to box Jonah on the Wii. I was not successful.

I was so delighted by the day - and had so much fun with people that I loved. And I really do love all the people that joined us yesterday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

I'm looking forward to this...

Mail order...

Dear Seth -
I know this isn't what you wanted for me - but I had do go with what my heart told me. I surely do love the iPhone - but all I really want is a phone. Just a phone. I have my amazing Touch, for which I am still grateful, and that does all the other jobs I might need. I'll let you know when it arrives - but here is what I am expecting in the mail in just a few days...
Love -
Miss Five

Image via here

AUTISM: The Musical

You should find yourdelf a copy of this documentary - and see it. Even if you've only ever just heard of autism - this is such a beautiful film. Seriously - see it.

SPOOKY!

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween, full of tricks and treats! We had a wonderful Halloween - with the local zone of missionaries coming over for a night of festive fun!

We set the scene with spooky lights and jack o'lanterns

We had dinner including BBQ ribs and funeral potatoes. Spooky, no?

Trixie and Corky, out on the patio, cooking ribs and enjoying some, too!

And then - the grande finale - the roasted pig arrived. It was awesome! And while you can't get the full scope - we had about eleven companionships of Elders, plus our family and some friends who stopped by. Spooky fun for everyone!

A great tool for the arsenal...

I will soon be adding this super-cool candle carver to my bag of party tricks...

And you can use it on just about anything and how fun would that be for a party?

Visitors...

We had a great time with the Ottley girls visiting us...can't you tell?

Ruthanne gets ready to color...

Abby is ready to make some art

Mom and the girls all went on a walk to see the many leaves that are all around - and brought many beauties back...

They even did their homework while they were here!!

Today we went to the Portland Children's Museum - and made some creations in the ceramics studio

Then the doctor met with some patients

And Doctor Abby gets ready to see her patients...

And in the end - we all went shopping...

The girls are now up in Seattle on the next leg of their journey - and I hope they had as much fun as we did!

Quite delighted by...

Good Morning and happy weekend! I'm just about to start the final bits of cleaning for a visit from my cousin and her daughters, but really - important things first:

Isn't this cool?!
It's a magnetic key holder! Keys won't slide around or fall off a table or slip into the very dark corners of your purse again...cool. You can buy one here.

Hope you're weekend is fun and festive...

Cute, no?

I think these camera cases are just plain darling:





Find some at this site.

Recreation...

Tonight I stumbled upon The Wal-Mart Game...and here's how you play:

From the creator:

DIRECTIONS: The game requires two or more players. All players enter a Wal-Mart store equipped with pen or pencil and a copy of the checklist below. Players have a pre-determined amount of time, I suggest thirty minutes, to walk around the store observing the customers and employees, and checking off their many defects and afflictions. The most "hits" in the allotted time wins. Good luck!
-Animal bite -Barbed wire bleeding -Bee sting -Black eye -Blacking out -Blood stain -Botched skin graft -Broken bone -Bucked dentures -Buckshot dimples -Butane rash -Camel hack -Carburetor burn -Chigger bites -Chipped teeth -Cigarette hole -Corn chip toenails -Creeping crud -DT's -Elephantiasis -Face raisin -Female bald spot -Funking whistle -Gasping for air -Harelip -Hatchet gash -Healing tattoo	-Horseshoe bruise -Lockjaw -Neck brace -Neck brace with Nascar sticker -Neck vent -Neck vent with bug guard -Nicotine patch tan line -One Herman Munster shoe -Open sore -Polio limp -Powder burns -Protruding forehead -Radical obesity -Rickets -Ring worm -Shingles -Shrieking in pain -Smoker's squint -Splint -Stinking cough -Sweet potato arm -Teeth like the top of a castle -Vomit beard -Weeping sore

Get your pencils ready. This game is much more challenging to play here in Portland - as the nearest store is thirty miles away - but still...it makes a trip to Wal-Mart not actually hurt as much.

Just another reason I love Paula Deen...

Ingredients

• 2 (14-ounce) packages gingerbread mix
• 1 (5.1-ounce) box cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (30-ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping
• 1/2 cup gingersnaps, optional

Directions

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl. Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of whipped topping. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

I'm thinking that I may need to make this for a Halloween celebration!

All this goodness comes via Food Network

Plotting my acquisition of...

Image via here

The backyard...

I was sorting through my photos - and realized that I haven't shown off our backyard at all this year. Mainly this was because I wasn't home much during the summer to enjoy it. But I did get some great pictures of the oasis that is our backyard.

Conversation pit complete with paper lanterns. Seating for eight...and the swing becomes a bed... This year, my folks actually had a "camp out" on the swing...until about 1 a.m. and then they came in. They can comment on whether it was because the "mattress" was too thin or what...

The table set for dinner...it sure was fun to eat out in back. We also set up a buffet/beverage table to make room for all the food.

I guess this one is really just to show off the fact that my mother is becoming her mother. That is our patio...carpeted. I'm not knocking the carpet. I'm just sayin'...

Another angle of the whole experience....

Trixie inspects the grape arbor - and sees that the grapes are getting ready for harvesting.

Now, fall has fully arrived. And we will begin dismantling the furniture and getting it stored for the winter. We've made gallons of grape juice from our very own grapes and now the harvest is drawing to a close. But don't worry - we have plenty of fall and winter adventures coming up...and all too soon it will be time to pull the backyard furniture back out and enjoy it all over again. Happy fall to you!

Sunday Survey...

What do you order when you eat Chinese food?
I love Orange chicken and General Tso's chicken. A crab wonton is delish alongside some pot stickers. I also love noodles more than rice.

What's the best costume you've ever worn?
While I loved wearing the red and black satin corset that was built just for me in Six Characters in Search of an Author, my favorite costume has to be the beautiful dress that was built for me to wear in Tintypes. It has a beautiful plaid bodice, a pink twelve gore skirt, puffed sleeves, and a baby blue satin petticoat. My mother built it - and it was perfection.

What's your least favorite word?
Boobs.

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?
Georgia

Who's your favorite Care Bear?
Tenderheart Bear. He was the leader - but I love his classic look. He's also all about dealing with your feelings - instead of eating them.

What is your favorite Cyndi Lauper song?
"Time After Time" - with Rob Hyman. I had the She's So Unusual tape way back when and even won the lip sync contest in my second grade class to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?
The thesaurus...which is not easy to say ten times fast.

I made this!

A little boy in our ward at church is currently going through chemotherapy. He's only six and it's rough. Let's face it here: chemotherapy is rough at any age - but this boy is so sweet and is currently adding major anxiety attacks prior to each treatment. And, since I'm part of the worlds most rockin' Primary - we wanted to do something that might help and at least remind him that he is loved - even when his body is being pumped full of toxins...

SO - each family/child/Primary worker was given a quilt square to decorate and then donate to a big quilt to be given to him before his next treatment. The due date is...today (now that I look at the clock) and here is what I did with mine:

I stitched the writing and the "Jolly Roger" on the sail, the rest was just applique.
Detail of the top
Detail of the bottom. I do hope he likes it. If not...I'm taking it back.

Saturday Survey...

What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. No question. When I was three I'd memorized the book and gave the illusion of being able to read. But - my ying sings high and I sing low - and we are not too bad, you know!

If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?
No question - "Robin's Nest" on Magnum, P.I.! A 200 acre estate in Hawaii?! Yes, please.

What's the longest you've gone without sleep?
I believe that it was about 38 hours back in high school. During college there were a lot of long stretches with some naps thrown in - which I think is harder than going without sleep all together. It just taunts your body but never gives it what it needs: brains.

What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?
"Copacabana."

Who's your favorite Muppet?
While of course it's hard to choose, I must say Statler and Waldorf. They have the best lines and the best seats.

What's your favorite school supply?
Loving all office/school supplies makes this difficult but I love Crayola Crayons the most. Even just the simple pack of eight jumbo crayons brings joy to my soul. But my soul is damaged when I see a box of crayons that is out of order. My OCD kicks in and I must organize it...otherwise how would you find what you needed?!

Who's your favorite TV attorney?
It's a tie between Dan Fielding (John LaRoquette) on Night Court and Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) on Law and Order. So different from each other - but still so great in their own right.

What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?
Most recently I flew back to Portland from Chicago - which is way more than 50 miles. I checked.

A little inspiration...

I'm not sure if you've been over to visit Fall Down Tree Creative...but you should. I'm currently working on a quilt square to contribute to a group project...and I'm probably going to use some of these ideas for my square. You should check it out, though - because seriously - the artwork is just SO GREAT. Some of my faves:

Today...

...we are out of school. And can I say that sleeping in was AMAZING!? Holy Cow, I 'd forgotten how good that felt...really. So - I'm reflecting today...

Today I am loving the feeling of not waking up to an alarm of any kind. Even if the alarm is for 10 a.m. - I still feel like I just need more time. But if I just wake up on my own - I feel fantastic...like today!

Today I am loving the smell of my new body wash. It reminds me of being with a certain family in Shorewood, IL.

Today I am loving the taste of hazelnut hot chocolate. Having the syrups in the house is not good...or IS IT!?

Today I am loving the sight of a full TiVo que and plenty of time to get caught up on my stories.

Today I am loving sound of my iTunes library. I normally just listen to my play lists and mixes - but this morning I just set about shuffling through the whole library. Fun and and a little funny. Apparently I have a lot of Christmas music. Huh.

Please respect my privacy...

Oh man...with these on my desk - now I know how the Kennedys feel.

What's good, Stavros?

Are you a little sad that fall has arrived, and the fresh produce at the market is becoming more expensive? Well - be sad no more, friend. Epicurious has a wonderful interactive map that will allow you to see what is currently in season as well as wonderful recipes to use the in season fruit and veg. What will you be enjoying? Go find out!

Image via Epicurious

Huh.

Is lunch theft still a problem? Well - if it really is, LifeHacker really has come up with a perfect solution.

I know, right? Gross.

Image from LifeHacker

SO MANLY!

My Dad is super manly - and I wonder now if he's been secretly visiting The Art of Manliness. I am so impressed with the wealth of knowledge of how to be manly - from how to jump a car to how to survive a street fight or how to rock a pocket handkerchief. Check it out...you may learn something!



Image via The Art of Manliness

I went to Seattle...ALMOST.

Only a few people out there will fully appreciate the title (and you know who you are) - but I had planned for months to go up to Seattle on October 3rd to hear Neil Gaiman read from his newest release, The Graveyard Book. But now that I'm working at a school (which really means working in a petri dish) I've finally come down with a cold and decided that no one would appreciate me coughing through the entire reading.

So - instead - I headed over here to watch what I missed last night and now I feel like I went to a live reading from one of my favorite authors...ALMOST.

Image from here